Control

[Film]

Of all the big guns flourishing at the height of the music video era, one hadn’t thrown his hat into the Hollywood sweepstakes: Dutch photographer/videographer Anton Corbijn. You’ve undoubtedly seen his work; his famously raw, stark aesthetic has long depicted bands like U2, The Killers, Depeche Mode and, among his first subjects, Joy Division. It was only fitting he finally bring his pictures to life to tell the story of Ian Curtis, the lead singer of Joy Division who hanged himself at 23 and forced his band to rename itself New Order. Last year’s Control aims to depict Curtis not as a manic depressive, like so many writers have, but as a regular yet imperfect chap from Manchester, England, who was wrongly medicated for epilepsy during the rise of his groundbreaking band. Corbijn handles the ensuing drama deftly, but even more impressive are the “live” performances. This writer isn’t much of a Joy Division fan, but Corbijn’s capturing of this band’s onstage prowess is electrifying. Mike Prevatt, mprevatt@lvcitylife.com